Frans Hals (1582-1666) is one of the greatest portrait painters of the golden age of Dutch art. He was very popular, he had many orders and pupils, but the artist died in total poverty in a shelter for the poor. That's the life of a genius.
Frans Hals: Biography
From the life of the great artist we are separated by a little less than four hundred years. But little is known about him personally. His father was a weaver in Antwerp, married to a second marriage, in which France Hals was born. Then the family moved to Haarlem, which is about twenty kilometers from Antwerp. During his birth, there was no peace in his homeland. Spanish troops besieged the city, stormed, ruined. Immigrants from all quarters fled to Haarlem. The city became rich and began to show great interest in art. Therefore, probably, France Hals almost never left Haarlem. Having learned the profession, accepted into the guild of St. Luke, which at that time was analogous to the Academy of Painting, the young Khals became a restorer for a start. After six years he becomes famous as a portraitist. And a year later he marries. In a marriage five sons will be born, and everyone will follow in the footsteps of his father - become portraitists. The peak of popularity and heyday of the genius creativity falls on 1620-1640. But then they start to forget it. Thus passes the glory of the painter named Frans Hals. Paintings almost do not order. Poverty is coming, which leads the master to the poorhouse. In it, he dies. In the Hermitage you can see two men's portraits painted by a great artist.
Portrait of an Unknown Man (1650-1652)
The mean colors, to which Frans Hals comes during these years, allows you to fully concentrate on the person's face. The wide white collar of the model even more attracts attention to the expression of the face. A well-groomed man with long curled hair and a mustache looks calmly and confidently at the viewer. He is wealthy and independent, mocking and, perhaps, full of aplomb. His posture is natural and at ease. No perturbations in his life do not threaten him. He clearly knows how to cope with any life situations. The portrait does not seem frozen, static. The artist receives this effect of dynamics due to the fact that the model is close to the viewer, the look is directly on him, and the elbow of the hand on which the portrait is leaning is pushed forward. She "torn" flat canvas. It was a step forward in the future from the portrait painting of his time.
Portrait of a young man with a glove in his hand (1650)
The model gives the impression of calm self-confidence and cheerfulness. The view aimed at the viewer is full of attention, interest and goodwill. A slight smile plays on his lips. Noticeable thick brush strokes of undiluted paint simply "fashioned" the face of the model. The same method is written white lace collar, lighted hair and glove. But the background and shadows are written with translucent paint. Thus, the figure protrudes from the canvas and approaches the viewer. Accurately and skillfully calculated all the movements of the brush. This is the creation of a complete image.
Portrait of Isabella Coimans (1689)
Without going deep into psychology, the artist Frans Hals writes a young, round-faced, pretty, benevolent and simple-hearted woman. This is a wealthy customer, and the painter applies all the skills to show decorations and lush expensive clothes. With extraordinary diligence, lace collar and cuffs are written out. Shine satin ribbons and ribbons decorating the belt and collar of the model, as well as translucent ribbons in her hair. A pearl necklace flashes on a slender neck and a bracelet on an elegant hand that holds a rose. From the satin dress, which on the hem is decorated with a light box with lace, it is impossible to look away. The portrait is made in golden brown tones. The rich nuances of the color of a dark dress and light background, the play of shadows allow to make the model convex, protruding from the plane of the picture. Despite all the splendor, the portrait has not lost its democratic character. It is in a private collection.
"The head of a boy in a beret" (1640)
A child's head is placed close-up in a circle on a golden light background. The circle immediately gives the portrait a completeness. The attentive look of the brown-eyed child faces something curious up and to the right. The artist reflects the moment, the living moment of life. It was seized and transferred to the canvas. The left side of the face is in the shade, which allows you to clearly sculpt the oval of the young face and the chin with a dimple. The right, lit by light, plays a blush. The bright lips of the beautiful drawing are tightly compressed. The face is framed by light golden waves of short hair. Their large curls descend low on the forehead, showing the beauty of the shape of the eyebrows. A low bluish collar and a white jabot open a slender neck. Hair and beret repeat the originally given shape of the circle. The work is in a private collection in London.
In this article, we tried to put well-known and unfamiliar to the public works of the master. Feelings, emotions, intellect, and not the front costume first of all tried to convey the painter. And so the artist paid his attention to facial expressions, gestures, and posture. His artistic heritage, which is mainly in the homeland, has far exceeded its limits.